John Hankey on WMSR and C&O 1309

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Feb 13, 2020 5:47 pm

Important, relevant, well-researched commentary on the WMSR and its travails with the restoration of C&O 1309 in Cumberland/Ridgeley, written by former B&O Railroad Museum curator and historian John Hankey:

http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/observation- ... uture.aspx

wesp · **Posted:** Thu Feb 13, 2020 5:55 pm

Well said, John.

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robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

Ahhhhh, if only more people had the wisdom and big-picture view of preservation that Mr. Hankey does.

Everything that vexes us day-to-day in the real world is magnified ten-fold when the topic at hand is restoring old iron.

And it ain't going to get any easier. Not one bit of it.

Rob

Crescent-Zephyr · **Joined:** Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:15 pm **Posts:** 1799

When you continue to promise something and you continue to not deliver meanwhile trading historic coaches for RDC's and other questionable decisions you don't get to cry when people rightfully question your choices.

Western Maryland is a great railroad with an almost perfect set-up. Turning facilities, historic depots, interesting, scenic, and historic line that is the perfect length for a tourist line (strasburg is a bit too short, Durango and Cumbres are a bit too long... WM is JUST right.) I love my trips riding in the Man-O-War car up the mountain behind #734.

But the current management doesn't seem to be making good choices in my opinion.

Dave · **Posted:** Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:42 pm

I think the current management is making the best choices they can under a shifting set of circumstances of which they can only control a portion of one end of the stream - and it does none of us any good to take potshots at them with our even more limited knowledge of those circumstances and available options. Wishing them well.

steamloco76 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:16 pm **Posts:** 61

A very well written perspective on the struggles of the WMSR. I for one just want to be able to see the magnificent #1309 pounding the rails to Frostburg as soon as financially possible and for many years to come. If I hit the Lotto, some cash would be on the way to them and a couple of other preservation causes.

PaulWWoodring · **Posted:** Fri Feb 14, 2020 11:56 am

Actually, as a long-time RDC fan, it's nice to know that two B&O Speedliners now reside and LIVE on the WMSR. Makes it more attractive as an operation to visit as far as I'm concerned, even as we wait for 1309.

Jeffrey Fefferlyn · **Joined:** Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:56 pm **Posts:** 46

Crescent-Zephyr wrote:

When you continue to promise something and you continue to not deliver meanwhile trading historic coaches for RDC's and other questionable decisions you don't get to cry when people rightfully question your choices.

Western Maryland is a great railroad with an almost perfect set-up. Turning facilities, historic depots, interesting, scenic, and historic line that is the perfect length for a tourist line (strasburg is a bit too short, Durango and Cumbres are a bit too long... WM is JUST right.) I love my trips riding in the Man-O-War car up the mountain behind #734.

But the current management doesn't seem to be making good choices in my opinion.

So, in your mind we should be clinging onto the past failures of the WMSR rather than celebrating the successes they've had amid all of their struggles? We indefinitely condemn them for trading (not scrapping) some clapped out rolling stock for alternatives in better mechanical condition?

What a great example of the old adage "those who complain, accomplish the least".

Jeff